SINGAPORE, April 30, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Sea Asia, which took place in Singapore from 9 - 11 April 2019, wrapped up three days of intense discussion with the launch of the third Sea Asia industry insights report, 'Navigating Through Shifting Regulatory and Geopolitical Landscapes in Maritime'.

Released today, the report explores how global developments are impacting the maritime industry, and how industry leaders are navigating the shifting regulatory landscape to sail through the moving tides.

The popularity of Sea Asia as a leading maritime industry conference and exhibition continues to grow. This edition of Sea Asia featured a record 13 national pavilions, with three new ones from Oman, Poland and Turkey, in addition to those from Singapore, China, Denmark, Holland, Japan, Korea, Norway, Panama, Greece and United Kingdom.

Other highlights on the show floor included the Innovation Arena -- a maritime start-up platform presented by Sea Asia in collaboration with PIER71, as well as an additive manufacturing showcase and a virtual reality welding demonstration.

More than 40 industry leaders spoke in 11 conference sessions, discussing issues and challenges in the industry, and providing various perspectives from their field of expertise and deep domain knowledge. The event also saw close to 15,000 participants from 80 countries/regions attending the three-day event. The exhibition saw 435 exhibitors spread across two floors of Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

Chairman of Seatrade, Informa Markets, Mr Chris Hayman, said: "Sea Asia 2019 provides industry leaders with a valuable opportunity to gather and discuss ways to best navigate through today's complex business environment, and charter the way forward."

He shared that it is now more important than ever for players to come together and demonstrate greater collaboration to tackle key challenges such as tighter environmental regulations, increasing competition for talent, and adapting new technology.

Chairman of the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF), Mr Andreas Sohmen-Pao, noted that the success and relevance of Sea Asia 2019 as an initiative spearheaded by the Singapore Maritime Foundation is now well established. According to the latest Leading Maritime Capitals 2019 report published by Menon Economics and DNV GL, Singapore was named as the world's top maritime capital for the fourth consecutive year.

"This recognises that Singapore plays a central role as a hub for people and ideas in the global maritime industry. Sea Asia is an important platform to support this," said Mr Sohmen-Pao.

Executive Vice President of UBM Asia Ltd, and Director of Sea Asia 2019, Mr Michael Duck, highlighted that while the industry is concerned with the current threats in maritime due to geopolitical uncertainty, many recognise the growing opportunities in this challenging terrain, and are prepared for the shifting dynamics in the sector.

Following the success of Sea Asia 2019, Mr Duck shared that the team is already looking forward to the next edition in 2021, which will be held from 20 - 22 April 2021.

"With the ongoing changes in geopolitical landscape, as well as environmental regulations that will come into effect by 2021, we look forward to be the catalyst for industry leaders to continue to drive more thought-provoking discussions on ongoing issues and solutions to navigate the challenging waters ahead," said Mr Duck.

The third Sea Asia industry insights report, 'Navigating Through Shifting Regulatory and Geopolitical Landscapes in Maritime' can be downloaded here.

About UBM

Sea Asia is organised by UBM, which in June 2018 combined with Informa PLC to become a leading B2B information services group and the largest B2B Events organiser in the world. Please visit www.ubm.com/singapore for more information about our presence in Singapore.

About Singapore Maritime Foundation

Established in 2004, the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) is a private sector-led organisation that seeks to develop and promote Singapore as an International Maritime Centre (IMC). As the representative voice for the commercial players of the maritime industry, SMF seeks to forge strong partnerships with the public and private sectors of the maritime industry. SMF spearheads initiatives to promote the diverse clusters of the maritime industry in Singapore and at international frontiers, and to attract young talents to join the sector. SMF is directed by its Board of Directors which comprises prominent leaders in the Singapore maritime community.

For details, visit www.smf.com.sg.

About PIER71

Founded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), through its entrepreneurial arm, NUS Enterprise, PIER71 (Port Innovation Ecosystem Reimagined at BLOCK71) aims to grow Singapore's maritime innovation ecosystem. PIER71 boosts innovation in the maritime and maritime-related industries by attracting talents, creating opportunities for the exchange of knowledge and ideas, attracting investments into start-ups and accelerating ventures.

PIER71 designs and delivers programmes to uncover opportunities within the industry and supports entrepreneurs from ideation to acceleration of their ventures. PIER71 provides access to various markets, demand drivers, technology solution providers, investors and more. PIER71 also represents a budding and increasingly vibrant ecosystem of stakeholders who are keen to digitalise and create the next wave of maritime innovation.

For more information, visit www.pier71.sg.

Sea Asia 2019 is held in conjunction with the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (SMW). SMW is the leading maritime event in Singapore driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. SMW gathers the international maritime community in Singapore for a week of conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. These events reflect the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a major international maritime centre.

About the Singapore Maritime Week 2019 (6 - 12 April 2019)

Singapore Maritime Week (SMW) is one of the world's leading maritime shows and is organised annually and driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA). Every year, SMW gathers the international maritime community for a week of flagship conferences, dialogues, exhibitions and social events in celebration of all things maritime. The range of activities and events organised by MPA, industry stakeholders and research and educational institutions, as well as the cosmopolitan profile of participants, reflects the vibrancy and diversity of Singapore as a global hub port and leading international maritime centre.